Abby Francis, spokesperson for Mobiles.co.uk, said: “Connectivity at football grounds affects both fans and their clubs, with fans being able to keep one eye on other games taking place, and clubs benefiting from increased online and social interaction.

“Free Wi-Fi would be a natural next step, particularly for clubs looking to increase their revenue and overcome connectivity issues during peak times. MLS team Sporting KC installed Wi-Fi at their ground and launched an app to allow to order food and drink in 2013, resulting in a 40% increase in match-day revenues.

“Fans will need to have a say in how far this goes, though. The issue of spending more time looking at their phones, and not enough watching the action on the pitch, is a contentious one and has been known to cause protests.”